Keeping Him Smiling
by Shadowdemon321
Summary: Max gets new comics, and Jace reflects on how this little boy was unwittingly the first one to capture his heart. ONE-SHOT


Hey, this is just a little thing I thought of. I wrote it because I think there is nothing more adorable than when Jace is with Max (except Jace/Clary fluff ;)) And I've yet to find a Jace/Max fanfiction that Max doesn't die in. If there is one and I missed it please tell me, I would love to read it. I read the ones where he dies, too, but it's just so sad. I love Max! He's my favorite TMI character, except for Jace ;).

Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Mortal Instruments. Cassandra Clare does.

. .

"_JACE!_" a little kid's voice screamed, as he barged into the training room. Jace's head snapped up, just as Alec barreled into him, knocking him to the ground. Jace's head smacked the floor, and he grimaced before shoving against his friend. He sat up just as the other Lightwood in the room ran to him, knocking him down again. The breath left his lungs, and he stared up at the six-year-old's excited face.

"Jace! Guess what?"

Jace laughed and wrapped an arm around the kid before sitting up, so Max was sitting on his lap. "What, Max?"

The kid practically vibrated with excitement. "Mom said she'd take me to get another comic! Wanna come? You can help me find the right one!"

Jace sighed. "I don't think I'd be much help there, kid." When Max's face fell, he quickly amended, "But I'll read it to you when you get back?"

Max grinned, his eyes lighting up. "Yes! I love it when you read to me! You always do the voices right!"

Jace smiled when he sprung up and ran out. A small black object fell out of his pocket, and Jace picked it up, pausing when he saw what it was. A small Shadowhunter rested in his palm, painted black, holding a tiny silver sword. He glanced up, opening his mouth to say something, but Max was already gone. With a sigh, he shoved the tiny figure in his pocket and left the room, going to his room. He laid down on his bed, staring up at his ceiling, the little Shadowhunter clutched in his hand. He waited for Max to return.

. .

Jace must have dozed off, because he was suddenly jolted awake by a small body landing heavily on his chest. Little arms wrapped around his neck, and a small head, topped with silky hair, nestled into his neck.

"Hi, Jace," Max said, his voice muffled. Jace smiled and rested one arm over Max's back.

"Hey, Kiddo. Did you find the right comic?"

Max nodded against his shoulder. "Yep, and a couple more. You wanna read them?"

"Sure." Jace tightened his hold on the boy as he sat up, so they were in the same position as before, with Max nestled into Jace's lap. He handed Jace the comic, and he opened it. He began reading, using all the voices he knew Max loved. Max was giggling so hard his face was red when Jace was done.

"Thanks, Jace," he said once he caught his breath, taking the comic back.

"Mhm," he answered, remembering the figurine. He glanced at his bedside table, and there it was, sitting in its eternal battle stance. He grabbed it and offered it to Max. "Here, you dropped this before."

Max's eyes lit up, and he smiled even wider. He snatched the little Shadowhunter out of Jace's hand and clutched it to his chest. "You found it! I thought I lost it!"

Jace chuckled. "Well, I had it. Don't worry, it wouldn't be that big a deal if you did lose it."

Max looked at him like he'd just told him Shadowhunting was stupid, and they should be friends with the demons. "What? But you gave this to me. It's special!"

Jace studied his round baby face for a moment before smiling a little. "I suppose. Shouldn't you be going to bed?"

Max shook his head so hard his glasses almost fell off. "I'm not tired." He yawned. "I wanna stay with you…"

Jace sighed. "You can sleep in here if you want."

Max smiled, a bit sleepily now. "Thanks, Jace." He yawned again, and laid back, his eyes slipping shut, still clutching the little figurine as he fell asleep.

Jace watched him for a little bit, thinking back to when he'd given Max that toy.

. .

Jace had been living at the Institute for about a year. Max was three, and wouldn't shut up. Jace avoided him usually, because he wasn't used to little kids. He wasn't sure he liked them.

He'd walked into the library, where Hodge was sitting behind his desk and Max was playing on the floor. Jace walked past the little kid, and heard a _thunk_. Max squealed in excitement, and, as Jace turned, grabbed the little Shadowhunter figurine that had fallen out of his pocket. Max brought the black figure up to his face, studying it with a huge smile on his face. Then he looked up at Jace, still smiling. He held the figure out to Jace, big blue eyes dancing.

"Here go," he said, straining to give Jace back the toy. Jace knelt by him, and, looking into the little boy's eyes, felt his heart melt a little. He put a hand over Max's, a little smile tweaking his lips.

"No, you can keep it," he murmured, pushing his hand gently back towards him. Max looked up at him wonderingly before grinning such a wide grin Jacce was half worried he'd split his lip.

"Thank you!" he crowed, tightly clutching the toy. Jace nodded and made to stand, but Max grabbed his fingers with his free hand. Not his hand, just his fingers. His hand was too tiny to fit around Jace's. Jace looked back questioningly.

"Do you want to play with me?" the little boy asked, almost shyly. His black hair flopped into his eyes, and Jace absentmindedly brushed it back, then jerked his hand back as if burned. He didn't understand what was happening, but nodded anyway, settling back down. Max handed him toy after toy, all of which he set back down in front of him. Max didn't seem to notice as he kept handing him toys. Jace was surprised he had the patience for this. But he thought he could keep this up, if only to keep the smile on Max's face. Then he realized that Max had unknowingly captured his heart, without even trying. He was the first one to do that, and he didn't even know what he'd done.

. .

As Jace remembered this, he smiled. He never acted this way with anyone else, even Alec. Max was something special to him, though he'd never admit it to anybody. He just knew that he loved Max, and would do anything for him, especially if he kept smiling.


End file.
